In conventional building construction with log cabin siding, elongate siding pieces are formed with a flat inner face for covering the walls of the building frame, and a rounded or curved surface on the outer face to simulate the log cabin appearance. Such simulated log cabin siding is used over stud frame buildings, post & beam frames, and other conventional framing systems. An aesthetic problem with log cabin siding is that the elongate fractional simulated "logs" or slabs do not give the appearance of authentic log construction at the corners where the fractional "log" siding pieces terminate. As a result a variety of cornering systems, simulated log cabin corner units, and "false tenon" structures have been devised to present the appearance of full log cabin construction for simulated log cabins, log houses, and log cabin siding construction generally. The prior art references of which applicants are aware were found in a search, conducted in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Class/Subclass 52/233.
According to one approach described for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,627,204 (Smith) and 4,320,610 (Rupp), simulated log end pieces or full log end pieces are arranged in a vertical column and secured to the corner of the building to simulate full log corner joints. Similarly in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,096,674 (Koller et al.) and 2,005,921 (Reither) false mortise and tenon structures may be secured to a building corner to present the appearance of full log structures.
According to another arrangement set forth in the Felser U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,592,182 and 4,640,069, the simulated log cabin siding pieces alternately extend beyond the building corner. Elongate blocks are secured to the siding pieces or slabs where they project beyond the corner to give the appearance of full log construction. A disadvantage of this construction arrangement is that extra labor is required and a visible joint or seam remains in the log end projections without continuity of the grain. In the King U.S. Pat. No. 1,996,735, thin or narrow blocks are secured to ends of the siding pieces.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,973 Marklund et al. describe a more conventional log cabin construction with self supporting half round logs terminating in full round ends. In this respect Marklund et al. do not address the particular problems of log cabin siding construction over conventional frame buildings. Other examples of conventional log cabin construction are found in the Farmont U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,500 and the Post U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,647.